
About this episode
Some debate that synthetic organic chemistry strategies have become stale, but Dr. Todd Hyster of Princeton University's Hyster Lab disagrees.
Todd fell in love with organic chemistry early in his education, but it wasn’t until he got turned on to enzyme catalysis that he found his true calling. He’s built a career using engineered enzymes to facilitate chemical transformations that would otherwise not be possible. Specifically, he and his team focus on photo-enzymatic catalysis where they use a combination of light and engineered proteins to drive new chemical transformations.
Join us to learn about his work, the methods involved, and the types of transformations being accomplished, which is beyond enantioselective synthesis, by the way. This stimulating conversation delves into the tactical and philosophical aspects of the synthetic chemistry, enzyme catalysis, and even the realities of academic funding and industry collaboration.
Related episodes:
- Season 3, Ep.2: Making impossible molecules
- Season 2, Ep.3: Rethinking catalysis
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